For as long as I can remember, the phrase "practice makes perfect" has been drilled into my head by everyone. Many teachers, my parents and even my friends were quick to suggest repetition when it came to learning. Whether it was an excuse for me to go practice various musical instruments or to review a new skill that I had learned in school that day, the idea that practice was somehow supposed to make my performance perfect made me a little skeptical. My thoughts were like this because it seemed as if whenever I had put in an honest effort to practice, nothing changed. I wanted to find a better way to practice. This led me to believe that practice itself doesn't always make perfect. So, how has society come to this conclusion that it does? I think there are two reasons behind this.
The first reason is common sense. The more you put in, the more you get out, right? Well, this seems logical, but time doesn't always mean learning. For example, let's say I'm in a school setting and I'm not paying attention. Yes, I am spending my time in an educational environment, but am I actually learning? No, of course not. In today's world, the content of a 60-minute lecture can easily be learned in a five-minute YouTube video. By doing this, I am putting in significantly less time and practice, but getting the same result.
The second reason is nurture over nature. From a young age, we have been taught that hard work can get us almost anywhere we want to be. Our parents pushed us to do the best that we can, and they tried their hardest to equip us with the tools that are needed to ensure our success. Most people could agree that they don't like it when they see someone succeed, especially if they put in little to no effort. We don't like to attribute perfection to a natural talent.
Practice doesn't make things perfect by itself. There are many other factors involved when it comes to determining your success. These other factors include things like how early you were introduced to the activity, your willingness to learn more and collaborate with others, your level of enjoyment of the activity and of course, natural talent.
However, your interest and enjoyment of an activity are largely responsible when it comes to your success in said activity. When you genuinely enjoy something, you look beyond what practice is supposed to be. Instead of memorizing formulas or having a set way to do something constantly being reinforced, a deeper understanding emerges. You understand the reason why you are doing something a certain way.
Nonetheless, pure talent does make up a large reason of why people find success easier. This New York Times headline answers that the only way you can get to a stage like Carnegie Hall is through talent. Essentially, someone who may practice less could easily do better than someone who practices a lot, simply because they have a natural talent. However, people who have a natural talent do tend to practice more because they enjoy what they do. Their talent has allowed for an increased interest.
Now, this isn't to say that if you don't have a natural ability to do something that you should give it up. On the other hand, you shouldn't go on practicing, because all you are doing is practicing the same thing and expecting a different result. There is always some way to improve something. Instead, you should look for feedback and be willing to learn from it. Feedback allows for growth and change in what otherwise would stay the same. Practice doesn't make perfect, but feedback does.
